I had my first lucid dream! Well, depending upon your definition of the term. I've had those "dreams" where I start off really thinking about a scenario and then enter it, but I've generally been in control of everything and have never lost awareness of my outer surroundings -- so those experiences have been more akin to daydreaming or fantasizing than actual, unconscious dreaming. But this time! This time I started off unaware that I was dreaming, deduced that I was dreaming, and then attempted to do things that I couldn't do when waking. How cool is that?
Okay, details. I found myself in a comic shop, and suddenly it occurred to me that I didn't remember entering the store -- I didn't even know where it was. (How have I not noticed things like this in dreams before?!) So I went to the front of the store to look outside and saw a grimy side street that suggested to me that I was in New York City, though I was aware that I might have been in any urban environment. In any case, I certainly didn't remember coming to NYC (would I have been as suspicious had I seen an area of Laurel?), so I went to ask the clerk for directions. I specifically avoided mentioning NYC, so as not to seem crazy if I was not dreaming and was actually somewhere else.
I said, "I think I got a bit mixed up on my way here. Can you direct me to...?" I let that hang, assuming he'd mention an obvious landmark that would help me to determine my location.
"Sure!" he said. "Just go left out here, then walk left down 37th. Broadway's several blocks down, and then --"
"I'm good from there, thanks!" I chirped. "I thought I was much farther down from Times Square than that, but I guess I got turned around somewhere." The clerk smiled.
I walked back towards the back of the store, now almost certain that I was dreaming. But how to test it? I didn't want to do something that would make me seem insane -- or put me in danger, since that would probably wake me up if I was dreaming or kill me if I wasn't. I decided upon a simple test: I would pinch myself.
Pinch. No pain. Pinch harder. No pain! DREAM STATE CONFIRMED! (more...)